Edward and Alphonse Elric x Reader
by SkunkDucky
Summary: Told in 1st person. One day, the reader finds themselves in an alley after witnessing their mom's murder. The reader is then savagely attacked and loses one arm, but is rescued by the Elric bros. However, after Trisha Elric dies, you all attempt the ultimate taboo, causing the reader to lose an eye. Thus begins the heroic tale of love, trust, and fate!
1. Prologue

I run and shove through masses of people in the streets of Amestria. I just witnessed the gruesome murder of my mom and sister. My cowardly father fled the scene. He didn't even look back. Finally, I reach a dark alley with a dumpster. I quickly duck behind the dumpster and break the dam holding back my tears. While I cry, I hear footsteps. They aren't light and quick like human steps, but heavy and ominous like something that's, well, unhuman. I quickly stop crying and hold my breath as the footsteps draw nearer. Finally, a thick figure stops right in front of my. Moments pass, and I still hardly dare to breathe. Suddenly, the figure flings itself at me and snarls. I fight back, landing punches in various areas of its body. Then the figure pins my arms down and leans over my left arm. I feel a searing pain and scream. The figure lifts up what I think is its head, a fleshy mass hanging from its head. It leans back and the mass disappears. I assumed it swallowed whatever the mass was. Then, it leans over my arm again, and this time there's a crunch and an even worse pain than before. I scream louder and my throat feels a popping sensation. Then I can't scream anymore. I lost my voice. _Great.. Now I'm going to die like mom... What an eventful day. I'm ready to die now anyways... _But the human will to survive flicks in my brain and I push the figure away with force as it stumbles onto the ground. I notice my arm is in its evil clutches now,. I curse in my head as I feel warm blood drip down my side. As I watch the figure dash away, I collapse onto the side of the wall and sink to the ground, tears still streaming down my face. I hear more footsteps, and I hear that they're human footsteps, quick and light. Two boys appear before me. One crouches over me and the other holds their hand to my bleeding stump in an effort to stop the bleeding, I suppose. "Its going to be alright. Just relax," the boy crouching over me says. _Thank You..._ I think in my head before all goes black.


	2. Ice Blue

Its been 6 years since the Elric brothers found me. I can't remember anything about my past, only that my mom is dead and my father is out there somewhere. I can't even remember my last name, only remembering that it started with "M". The brothers had brought me to their home, where they contacted Winry's grandma, Pinako, and had her fix up and automail arm for me. I was forever grateful to her for that.

We were all sitting in the grass outside of Winry's home, looking into the landscape. Al was about 10 years old, and Ed, Winry, and I were 11. I deeply cared for the brothers and found it upon myself to protect them at all costs. I always protected Al, as he was not exactly a vicious type. I look at Winry, who smiles at me. She was my best friend, other than the Elrics, of course. She was always there for me. I look back out to the landscape and swim in my life memories. I smile and look up into the sky as i remember an experience where I had protected Al.

Al and I were sitting in the front yard of our house, looking at a demented sphere Al had created during his alchemy practice. As we looked at it, Al yelps and I see a rock bounce off his head. I look around and spy three boys. They were throwing rocks at Al. I dart up and plant myself in front of Al. "(y/n), get out of the way! They will hurt you!" Al say shrilly. I ignore him, gritting my teeth as rocks pelt my body. When the boys stoop down to reload on rocks, you strike. I dash forward and bring my leg down on the head of the left boy. One out, two to go. Then, I punch the right one with my normal arm, sending him a good two feet away. Then, I punch the middle one's face with my auto-mail arm, sending him three feet away. While the other boys scramble away, I kneel down in front of the middle one and grab his shirt collar. "Leave Alphonse alone. If you mess with him, you answer to me," I hiss into his face. I let the boy go, and he scrambles away, holding his bloody nose. I look back at Al, whose eyes are wide with shock. Seeing that he was a tad bit traumatized, I walk over to him and hug him. Then you take him home to Trisha, who was the closest thing to a mom I have.

That was one of the many experiences you had protecting Al. As I swim in my head for more memories, I grasp one that reminded me of something. Even though I was dedicated to solely protecting the brothers, Ed was always protecting me.

One sunny day, I was watching a blue butterfly dance with a white butterfly. They both did twist and flips in the air, daring dives and saving soars. Suddenly, a foot stops very near the butterflies, so I whisk my hand out and got them to fly away. Looking up, I saw a tall man with a shaved head. He was smoking a cigarette and looking down at you with a look of hunger and evil in his eyes. The man kicks my chin, sending me into the air and back onto the grass with a hard thump. I wanted to cry for help, but I knew it was useless, as Ed was at Winry's and Al was helping Trisha hang up clothes to dry. So I stood up, blood trickling out my lip. As I dart forward to attempt to hit the man in the crotch, he reaches over and grabs my hair. As I am lifted into the air, I realize that I am useless against a grown man at this point. The man looks into my eyes, still with the burning look that made me feel uncomfortable. "Such a pretty face," he says in his gravelly voice. He takes his cigarette and slashes my right cheek with it. I want to scream, but I am determined not to show weakness and I clench my teeth and I feel the heat burning my face. I know I am bleeding when I feel something stream down my face from the wound. "Maybe I should take you to my house, where I can just torture you more..." the man says with an evil smirk. As he drags me away, I feebly reach my hand out towards the Elric house. Suddenly, the man releases his grip on my hair and I fall to the ground. I recover from the short fall quickly and flash my leg out, tripping the man. As he falls towards me, I jump out of the way and bump into Ed, who pushes me behind him. I see that Ed must've punched the man in the face, as his eye was beginning to swell. "Why you little..." he snarls, reaching for us. But Trisha jumps in front of me and Ed with a broom and whacks the man in the face. "Don't you dare harm my children!" she screeches. Al jumps onto the man and covers his head with a sheet. While Trisha and Al proceeded to scream and whack the man, Ed turns to me. "Oh my gosh! (y/n) are you ok?" he says, and his eyes flicker to the burn on my cheek. "Come on, I'll fix this up for you.." he says, leading me to the house.

Suddenly, Den, Winry's dog, jumps onto my chest and licks my face. Everyone laughs and I push Den off of me. "Hey, (y/n), we're going home now!" Ed says, getting up and running towards the Elric house. "I'll be right there!" I call, standing up. Then I see a blue object out of the corner of my eye. I turn to look at it curiously. It was a stunning ice-blue flower, its petals stretched wide and proud. I reach over and pluck it from the ground. "That's really pretty," Winry says, looking over my shoulder. "Isn't it? I'm going to give it to mom..." I say, fingering the petals. Winry laughs. "Well, Grandma Pinako and I be inside if you need anything. Come on, Den.." Winry walks inside her house, closing the door after Den trots in. I walk towards home, and hear a voice yelling my name. Looking up, I see that its Al. He's running until he falls to his knees. I run to his aid, and as I get closer to him I realize that he's sobbing. I tuck the flower in the pocket of my khaki pants and kneel beside Al. "Hey, what's up?" I say nervously. "Mom... She's...she's.." Al says between sobs before wailing. I take off my jacket and wrap it around Al. "She what, Alphonse?" I say, panic edging my voice. Al shakes his head and continues to wail. He was obviously in shock. I dash up and run towards home. I fling open the door and stumble into the kitchen, where I see Ed holding Trisha's head in his lap. "She just collapsed and she won't wake up. She's still breathing..." he says, sniffling. From then on, my world turns pitch black.


	3. Bringing Back Trisha

Its been 3 months since Trisha died. Ed, Al, and I were there when she passed. This is what I remember...

"Mom?" I say as I notice her body stop moving on the bed. Al gasps, and tears rain from his eyes. "Mom?!" I say, panicked and distressed. "She's not your mom..." Ed says, holding Trisha's limp hand. I stare at Ed, shocked, and so does Al, who is equally shocked. "Ed, she is my mom, as I am part of your family," I say, my voice wavering. After letting go of Trisha's hand, Ed shoves me onto the ground. "She's my and Al's mom only!" he screams, picking me up and throwing me against the wall with such force that I hear a crunch and my vision goes black for a moment. "Brother!" Al squeals through his sobs. He grabs my shirt collar and yells in my face, "SHE'S DEAD!" Then he lets go of my shirt collar and drops me to the ground. I can't move though. I can still feel, which is good, but I can't move... Ed falls on his knees, looking at me, sobbing. "I'm sorry, (y/n), I'm so sorry.." He grabs my shoulders and pulls me into a hug. Since I still can't move, I can't hug him back. Al comes and hugs me and Ed, and they douse me with their tears. It is not before long until I join them, letting out a wail that sounds like that of a wounded animal. And we all sit there, crying like a child who lost their security blanket.

It is the dead of night, and me, Ed, and Al are in the basement of our home. We are about to attempt the largest taboo against alchemy there is: human transmutation. We are going to bring back mom.

Once Ed is finished with the transmutation circle around Mom's remains, we all press our palms onto the circle. "Ready?" Ed says. Al and I nod our heads and the transmutation begins. At first, there's a brilliant blue light, and we are all wonder-struck. We all begin to smile and laugh and marvel at the light, dancing and swirling around us with some streaks of white. It reminded me of the butterflies I saw. And the ice-blue flower I picked for Mom, now resting upon her grave... But then I remember the large foot that stomped dangerously near. The blue suddenly turned black and red, colors of anger, fear, death. I look at Ed and Al, who seem equally afraid and confused. Then, as I look up, a flash of red hits me right in the left eye. "(y/n)!" Ed shouts before I find myself in front of a black gate in the middle of a white surrounding. The gate was large, with an eye in the middle and many other designs. I go up and touch it, and the gate opens. As I stare into the dark, I see many pairs of eyes staring at me. Tensing up, I prepare to run, but a black hand reaches out and grabs my leg. I yell as other black hands come and drag me into the gate. Reaching out my free arm, I claw into the white floor. "Help!" I shout. The gates close, shutting me out from the world. The hands force me to look froward, and I see everything there is to know. But then it starts showing memories of Ed and Al. And Trisha. All of us laughing. The time when Trisha and Al beat the man who tried to kidnap me, while Ed stood in front of me, tense in case the man tried to kidnap me again. Suddenly, I feel a pain in my right eye. I scream, louder than the time the strange creature took my arm. Then, I feel a falling sensation.

I wake up to find the lights gone. I hear Ed screaming, "Alphonse! Al! No!" I feel my eye, and I feel a gash, going through my eye and down my face. I sit up and look at Ed, and I squeal when I see his left leg is missing. Stumbling over to Ed, I try to cover his wound with my hand. Ed keeps crying out Al's name, and I look over to where Al had been sitting. He wasn't there, but his clothes were. I crawl over to Al's clothes. i gather them up, and begin my own crying, hugging his clothes tightly to me. Ed crawls over to a suit of armor and knocks it down. "There's still a way... I can still save him..." he grunts as he draws a transmutation circle in the neck of the armor. He proceeds to draw the same on his arms, his legs, his head, his heart... I go over and draw the circle on my ruined eye. "No, (y/n), you'll lose your eye completely..." Ed says, looking at me with tears streaming down his eyes. "I don't care if I lose my life as long as Al comes back," I say defiantly. Then, both of us place our hands on the circle in the armor, and a light begins to glow., Then, I topple onto my side, and I don't remember what happened next.


	4. A Man named Roy Mustang

I woke up to the patting of a hand on my back. I opened my eyes wearlily. I was in the living room of the Elric house. My whole right side is black, so I can't see who the hand belongs to.

"It's going to be alright. You just need to rest," a kind voice says, continuing to pat my back. I put a hand to my right eyes, and what I feel is so gross, it can't be put in words.

"My... eye," I stammer, feeling panic rise in me. A blonde haired woman kneels in front of me, and I realize its her patting my back.

"It's gone. I'm sorry. I'm Lt. Hawkeye, " she says, a sympathetic look in her eyes. _Hawkeye,_ I think to myself. _It has a nice ring to it_... Another woman kneels in front of me and covers my right eye in a bandage that wraps itself around my head.

"There, all better. No chance of infection now!" she says, a smile stretched across her face. I glance at her, then look down to the ground. The woman got up and left. As I begin to recap what had happened, I remember the black gate and my head begins to hurt. I clutch my head and grunt. Hawkeye cups my face in her hands.

"Are you-" she tries to ask before I interrupt her.

"Where's Edward and Alphonse? Where are they?!" I yell, scrambling from her reach onto a nearby chair. Shock flashes on her face, probably at my rabid behavior just then. The shock is quickly replaced with conflict.

"Well?" I demand. Grief fills Hawkeye's eyes, and I collapse into the chair. Tears begin to run down my face as I blankly stare ahead. If anything has happened to them, I would've failed my duty to protect them at all costs. Hawkeye stands up and walks towards me. Placing a gentle hand on my shoulder, she says, "They're in their mother's room," she says. I bolt up and frantically run towards Trisha's room. When I see the door, I reach out and grab the doorknob. Twisting the doorknob, I jerk the door open. There, sitting on the floor a few feet away from me, was the suit of armor Ed and I had tried to bond Al's soul to.

"Al?" a say softly, remaining in the doorway, oblivious to everything but the armor. When I get no response, I fall the the floor in a sobbing heap.

"We were to late.. Oh, Alphonse!" I cry, my hands tearing at the floor. I continue to cry until I feel something cold touch my hand. Opening my eyes, I look at my hand. Its a metal hand. Looking up, I find myself staring into the face of the armor.

"(y/n)? Are you ok?" the sweet, innocent voice of Al fills my ears, and I begin to cry again, but this time, out of relief. I throw my arms around the armor's shoulders.

"Alphonse, I thought I lost you!" I say, laughing. Al hugs me back and laughs.

After a long time of hugging and crying, I wipe my eyes and stand up.

"Where's Ed?" I say before looking to my right. There he was, in the bed. His right arm had been bandaged, and fluids were connected to him through needles. I rush over to the bedside and grab his hand.

"Ed? Its me, (y/n)," I say. After a moment, Ed's eyes flutter open and fixate on me. I smile and stifle my tears.

"We did it, Ed. Al's in the armor," I say, casting a look at Al, who was now standing up. Ed chuckles.

"Great, now you're taller than me," he jokes, but a look of horror flashes on his face. "Oh no," he says while me and Al laughed. Once we stopped, Ed once again looked at me.

"Hey, is you're eye ok?" he asks. I look away.

"No. I lost it in exchange for Al's soul, like how you lost you're arm," I say. Ed gasps, then flings his arm over his eyes.

"This is all my fault,' he says, beginning to cry. "If we hadn't done this, Al still would've been in his body and you still would've had your eye.. This is all my fault... I'm so stupid and I even made you break the law of alchemy.." he continues sobbing.

"Brother.." Al says. I sit there and think. As though my hand had a mind of its own, it slapped Ed across the face. I hear Al gasp. Ed holds his cheek, red from my hand.

"Don't say that, you idiot!" I growl. "Experience is the best teacher! Had we not done this, we would've probably done something more stupid in the future! And maybe we wouldn't have strengthened our bonds to each other!" I say, slapping a hand to my heart. Ed looks at me, surprised. Then, he leans his head back onto he pillow.

"Such words coming from an eleven year-old," a man's voice says behind me. Al and I whirl around. Standing there is a tall, black- haired man with brown eyes just like mine. I don't know what it was, but other than the eyes, something seemed familiar about him. He looks at me, and a look of recognition flashes in his eyes, but is gone as soon as it appeared.

"I am Colonel Roy Mustang, known as the Flame Alchemist. I am also a State Alchemist," he says, holding up his watch. At any other time, the watch with a dragon-looking creature would've had me on my knees begging to touch it. But after you've nearly lost your life, a piece of silver with a clock inside it isn't that impressive. I still have a strange feeling. He looks so familiar... I tilted my head and gazed at him, puzzled.

"We will have you children out in a few minutes. Just sit tight and don't stress yourselves," he says, shooting a glance at Ed. Then, Roy looks at me, and I swear I saw sadness and longing in them. His expression goes blank once again, and the man named Roy Mustang turns on his heel and marches out of the room.


	5. Sandy Landscape

I am 14 now. Ed is 15. Al is also 14. It had been a few years since we tried to bring back Trisha. Pinako and Winry had fixed Ed up with automail replacements for his arm and leg. They couldn't do anyhting about my eye, so I made a black eyepatch to cover it. Ed, Al, and I had burned down the house at Ed's command, but we didn't know why he wanted us to do so. Winry and Pinako had been there too. When Ed told us we were going to leave them, I was really upset. Any person would be heartbroken if they had to leave their best friends- no, family- behind. While Ed and Al left behind most of their possessions (ones not burned in the fire, that is), I took the horse I created using alchemy a long time ago. When we left, I was moping until Ed snapped some sense into me, scolding me. He had grown fast, his straw- colored hair now in a braid with his usual bangs in front of his gold eyes. He was still short, too, but I was just as short as he was, so I guess he took comfort in knowing that he wasn't the only dwarf around (PS- sorry to all you tall people reading this :3). Al was still the same, and I polished him every month. If anything, Al had grown more mature. Right now, we were on a train heading to Reole.

I sat next to Ed and across from Al. Ed had his arm draped over my shoulders, which made me blush at first, but I got used to it. I looked over at Al, who had his hands folded neatly in his lap.

"Why can't I sit with you guys?" Al says, a hint of loneliness edging his voice.

"You're just too dang big, Al," Ed says with a chuckle. I smiled and reached over to pat Al's arm. When I did, the sound resonated throughout his armor. I began to look at the horse for the hundredth time. When I tossed it into the air, Ed's automail hand flashed out and grabbed it. I look over and find Ed smirking fiendishly at me. He observed it.

"Nice," he says, tossing it into the air for me to catch. I caught it barely before it hit the ground and I scowled at Ed, who laughed. Then, the train came to a stop.

"We've arrived," Ed says, standing up. We stepped out of the train and I fell face-flat onto the sand. I yelped (earning me a mouthful of sand). Ed and Al helped e up and began to laugh when they saw my face as red a Ed's cape. I laughed too and glanced around. I expected to see buildings, but all I saw was a sand landscape.

"Hey Ed, where is it?" I ask.

"We have to walk there!" Ed says, running his hands through his hair and flashing me and Al a signature smile of his. I exaled and pretended my back had another freeze episode.

"Ack! Guys, I can't walk! my back..." I say in mock pain. Ed and Al stoop over me. Al lifts me up and carries me in his arm.

"Thanks, Al," I say, patting his chest.

"No problem," Al's red glowing eyes squint as he begins to walk. I look over his shoulder at Ed and wink. Ed's eyes widen and close as he shakes his head, silently laughing. I turn my head to face in front of us, and when I still see nothing but sand, I breathe out and close my eyes. This is going to take a long time.


	6. Note to Readers

Hello guys! Thanks for the reviews! Sorry I haven't worked on this story for a while. Life threw me more lemons than I could make lemonade out of... *ahem*

Basically I got a lot of school work and... yeah...

But I will be working this story again, and I should have a new chapter this week or next week. Again, thanks for the support!

-_SkunkDucky_

Poppyflower of Stormclan- I really like this! I hope you update, because this needs more love!

Harlow- WRITE MORE, THIS IS FREAKING GOOD!

Blackroseraven- I love it! Please write more!


	7. Sorry

OK guys so here's the thing:

I was about to save and post the next chapter but there was a lightning and our power went out D:

So it saved N-O-T-H-I-N-G X(

But I promise to get back to work on it and post it as soon as I can.

Thanks for the support!

-_SkunkDucky_


	8. Burning Sand

FINALLY WHAT YOU HAVE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR! I meant to upload this sooner but schoolwork got me ~_~ Anyways, I also wanted to say thanks for your support! Love you all 3

'

We've been walking in the desert for a long while now. Quite frankly, I was tired. But weren't we all? The only sounds I could hear were the rare small gusts of wind and our heavy breathing. I was sweating like a pig, so much I wouldn't be surprised if I gained the appearance of a cracked creek-bed by the time we reached the town. If we ever did. After a few moments, a thud behind me tells me that Ed has given up on life. I turn to find him face-flat in the sand.

"Get up, you'll suffocate," I say, exasperated by the heat.

"Its too hot..." his muffled voice says. I kneel in front of him and tug on his braid. He gives a sigh and rises to his hands and knees, sand grains littering his face. I brush them off quickly with my hand. He gives me a grateful grin that made my stomach give a strange flipping sensation.

"Hey, where's Al?" he says suddenly, looking around. This snaps me out of the sensation and I look around also. We both begin to call out his name, and I began to fear that even though he doesn't get hot, he collapsed and we forgot about him. He could be miles back...

'I failed him...' I begin thinking, recalling my promise to protect the brothers. I was sure I would've broke down if it wasn't for two metal hands, on grabbing my wrist and the other grabbing Ed's ankle. We both yell and I jerk myself away on instinct.

"Its me! I sank again..." the childish and immature voice of Al says below the sand. After a bit of digging, we finally fish Al out the sand.

"How the heck did you sink?" Ed grumbles.

"The sand filled me up," Al shrugs. Ed, clearly annoyed, raises his foot to give Al's chest a kick.

"Wait...!" I try to warn, but its too late. Only a second later, Ed is no longer visible underneath the pile of sand. I laugh alongside Al, only to be cut off by Ed's frightening form bursting from the sand. Al and I instantly run, Ed hot in pursuit.

"STOP RUNNING!" Ed yells behind us.

"WHAT WILL YOU DO IF YOU CATCH US?" Al yells back. I let out a chuckle and Al grins down at me.

"STOP AND YOU'LL FIND OUT!" He yelled back, seemingly running faster. Al and I take on our own burst of speed and we laugh at Ed's feeble attempts to get us to stop running.

'

Sorry for the chapter being so short ^-^ It seemed longer on notebook paper... But never fear! I will try to post a longer chapter every other week.

Meanwhile, I decided to let you guys do a Q&amp;A that I'll answer! You can post any number of questions (about me or the story, either is fine [yes, minor spoilers CAN be REVEALED in the q&amp;a]) in the comments below this chapter. This is to apologize for making you guys wait so long and also for all the support you gave in my absence. Have a good day!

-_SkunkDucky :)  
_


	9. Look Up!

AND HERE'S THE NEXT CHAPTER! Sorry for not writing in quite a while, I've been exetremely lazy. Also, the current winner of the poll (still open) is Fawn, so we'll call the reader that for now :P But again, thanks for everyone's support :)

Ed eventually gave up on chasing me and Al, deciding that he would rather save his energy for survivng the sweltering heat. We walked in silence, each of us swimming in our own thoughts. A while later, as my eyes scan the horizon, I see little rectangles pop up.

"Huh..?" I murmur, squinting my eyes.

"What is it?" Ed asks, glancing over at me. I purse my lips as I try to identify what the rectangles were before a rush of excitment causes me to grin and point towards them.

"Civilization!" I exclaim, relieved and overjoyed. The two brothers follow my finger and they both gasp.

"People!" Al cries, running towards it.

"Water! Food! We're saved, Al!" Ed says breathlessly, racing after Al. I stand there a few moments, watching them run off side by side. My smile faltered. There's no me in that word, we. I'm just a tag along, a girl desperate to repay the debts she knows she could never repay. A girl who could freeze from back pain at any moment, leaving herself but more importantly the brothers vulnerable. A girl who's face is deformed with an ugly scar, all beauty gone. I look down at the sand, my fists clenched.

"Damnit..." I mutter, closing my eyes.

"Hey, what's wrong?" A voice interrupts my thoughts. My head jolts up and I find myself staring into the ruby eyes of Alphonse Elric.

"Nothing," I say, shrugging it off. "I thought you ran off towards the town."

"I did, but then I realized you weren't with us, so I came back."

"Oh..."

A few moments of heavy silence hung between us. My gaze was cast to the side now, unwilling to meet his. I tried to count the grains in the sand, knowing fully that it was impossible.

"Brother says you're always looking down," Al finally says.

"Huh? What do you mean?" I mutter, still refusing to meet his gaze.

"You never look up. You just always keep your eyes to the ground in front of you. Like it will lead you somewhere."

When I didn't respond, he sighed and sat down in front of me. "It worries us. Especially Ed..."

I finally look into Al's eyes. "He's so afraid for you... I know he acts all tough and scary sometimes, but deep inside, he's in pain, he's terrified. He doesn't want to lose you. He's already lost me..." he gestures to himself. My eyes are wide and my jaw is clenched as I fight tears.

"He always feels terrible for what he did to you, when mother died. He tells me how he's a monster because he hurt you. He would never be able to take it back, just like..." He falls silent, looking down at his metal hands.

A single tear falls down my cheek as I close my eyes. "But he was right. I'm not a part of your family. I never had the right to barge in..." I murmur.

"Fawn..." Al murmurs, looking at me.

"YOU GUYS SHOULD'VE LEFT ME TO DIE!" I yell before my knees buckle and fall into the sand. "Ed is wrong to worry for me. You are wrong to worry for me. I can take care of myself. You guys didn't have a choice when you found me. You knew I would die and you didn't want that on your mind... Just leave me... You're better off without me anyways..." I bury my face in my hands as I sob. Al reaches out to me and pulls me against him, allowing me to cry into his hollow chest for a bit.

"We weren't forced, silly," he said after a minute or two. "We chose to save you because, well, we felt something when we laid eyes on you. Both of us. Almost as if... we were destined to meet eachother."

I sniff and look up at Al's face. "But-"

"You gave us something to live for. Your happiness, encouragement, bravery... You helped us through everything after mother died. You saved me from those bullies," He chuckled, his eyes shining. "I swear, Fawn, we will never abandon you. We'll always be with you, by your side, no matter what."

I gaze up at him, a light blush on my cheeks.

"Thank you, Al..." I say softly, wrapping my arms around him and closing my eyes.

"I was only speaking the truth," he laughs, ruffling my hair. After a few moments, I stand.

"Come on, you dummy. I bet Ed's wondering where the hell we went," I smile.

"Right," Al nods, a twinkle in his eye. I help him stand before we walk back towards the town. I glance over at Al, walking by my side, and feel that strange fluttering sensation again. He's grown, no longer the helpless little kid I saved... And even though he may not be human now, he certainly contained more humanity than any of us combined. I look forward again, feeling content.

As we reached the town, Ed popped up out of nowhere.

"WHERE HAVE YOU GUYS BEEN?! YOU COMPLETELY ABANDONED ME, YOU BASTARDS!" He says, face red in anger.

"Sorry, we lost something," Al chirped, winking at me. I put a hand to my mouth and chuckled. Ed's gaze switches between us before he pales. He suddenly leapt onto Al, whacking him on the head with his suitcase.

"WHAT DID YOU AND FAWN DO?! I SWEAR IF YOU LAYED ONE PERVERTED FINGER ON HER I WILL KILL YOU!" He howled.

"Brother, stop it!" Al exclaimed, laughing.

"We didn't do anything," I laughed also. Ed freezes and glares at me.

"Anything? What does that mean?" he hissed.

"Oh, you know, _anything..._" I teased, smirking. Al falls back as Ed jumps off of him, rolling around in a laughing fit.

"Why, you..." he growled.

"What brother? Are you jealous?" Al chokes out between laughs. Ed's face turns dark red again.

"No, of course not. I could care less what you two did. Whatever," he folds his arms and points his chin up. It would've been more convinving if his face wasn't so red.

Once Al and I recovered, we walked to the entrance of the town.

"I hope they have something to drink..." Ed mumurs, looking around. He zeroes in on a fountain straight ahead.

"Water!" he gasps, flinging his suitcase at me and rushing over to it. I yelp and rub my head before picking it up.

"IDIOT!" I yell after him, annoyed.

"Come on, Fawn," Al sqeals, running after Ed. I watch them for a moment, then look to the clear and endless sky. Instead of feeling upset, I actually felt happy. I grinned and waved my free hand.

"Wait up!" I call as I run until I reach their side. Ed's eyes flick over to me, and I meet them, my own sparkling. A flash of suprise disturbs his golden pools, then goes to a calm and happy shine. He reaches out his hand and pats my head.

"You're finally looking up... You're almost as tall as me now," he mumurs, smiling.


End file.
